"Yes," continued the guard. "I was in the pit firing at some Yanks over there on the Peninsula one time last June. There was a fellow firing away at me, and he was so good that he made me keep out of sight, too, most of the time. I thought I had him at the same minute when he thought he had me. We fired at the same time, and what do you think happened?" "You both missed?" suggested Dennis. "No, we didn't; at least both of us didn't miss. The strangest thing happened." "What was it?" inquired Noel, apparently still more eagerly. "Why, would you believe it?" said the soldier, "the bullet of that Yankee sharpshooter had gone right down the muzzle of my gun. It struck perfectly square and went into the muzzle the whole length of it." "And did your bullet do the same thing with his rifle?" inquired Dennis solemnly. "I don't know. I never have heard. I did not know but that you might have heard something about the affair and could tell me what happened to that Yank. Were you ever down on the Peninsula?" "Yes, sor," said Dennis promptly. "Maybe you were down there helping McClellan get away as fast as his legs could carry him. You made good time!" laughed the guard. "Faith, and we did," said Dennis, "but not as good as we might have made if the Johnnies had followed us up. They were so afraid that we would turn on them and take their little tin capital away from them that they ran as fast as they could go back to Richmond." "We weren't running in that direction," said the soldier, unmoved by the bantering of Dennis. "Don't forget about Manassas. And now we have all yo' Yanks bottled up right here in Maryland." "How's that?" asked Noel. "Why, we'll soon have the garrisons of Harper's Ferry, Martinsburg, and every other body except McClellan's army, and we have thrown out Stuart's cavalry so that there won't be a Yank able to get through either way. It won't do him any good even to try." "Wait a little while before you say that," suggested Noel, aware that Dennis was pulling him by his sleeve. "Whist," whispered Dennis in one of his most penetrating tones. "Don't talk anymore with the Johnnie. I have something to say to ye that is of a good deal more importance." "I'm not interested," replied Noel. "I haven't had any supper, and I'm hungry, and I want to sleep. Are we going to be fed here?" he asked, turning to the guard. "I reckon you will be. When I am relieved I'll see what can be done." Conversation for a time ceased between the prisoners and their guard, but the excitement of Dennis was not to be repressed. When at last he had induced his companion to withdraw from the door, he drew him into one corner of the room and renewed his whispering. At his companion's request his voice at last was lowered so that the guard was unable to hear what was said, and then, in spite of his weariness, in a moment Noel was eagerly listening to what the young soldier was telling him. CHAPTER IX THE PLOT